Deadly Dancing
by sparkshift
Summary: A 400 year old cult is close to its goal-the destruction of vampires. Bella Swan is the only mortal with knowledge of vampires, and with her team, she tries to stop it. But when she runs into her past, will she only be doing it for duty? New Moon AU BE
1. Libraries Can't Help With Everything

**Libraries Can't Help With Everything **

_Paralyzer—Finger Eleven _

"Take one more step near my car, and I swear I will shove a knife down your throat," I threatened menacingly. The man who had been inching towards my car stopped, and grinned at me.

"You know Bella, sometimes being loose, relaxed, calm…it can help out a bit," he said, chuckling. He stepped away from my car though, and went back to his position next to his best friend, Morgan Alber, who was also my boss, in some senses.

Morgan chuckled also. "I think Meka's right Bella. It's good to be alert sometimes, but other times it's better to be relaxed and more flexible."

I raised my eyes at him. "Commander, I think you're just saying that because you want to drive my car too." His face froze in mid-laughter, and he tried to shake his head. "I know you're lying," I smirked.

He shook his head. "You're way too observant for your own good you know. You only just graduated from your last class!" he exclaimed, running a hand quickly through his jet black hair.

I raised my eyes. "And isn't that the only reason you're alive right now? And the reason I work for Zeta right now, as the youngest agent it's ever had?"

Morgan gave me a warning glance, warning me to not to say anything more. I knew he was being careful, since no one was supposed to know about the existence of our organization.

Zeta was a top secret group of scientists and army soldiers who worked for the American government. All of us had to take a fast track major to help discover and collect things that were too dangerous to be in the hands of other countries or groups, and beneficial to America. Or to counterattack terrorists with too much information. Often, we would be searching for lost artifacts that would be very valuable on the black market.

I myself had a major in languages like French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese and Latin as a strong base. But I specialized in computer technology, things like hacking and programming at a fast pace. I also had a degree in general history, to better understand the cultures of the places I visited and to help search for things that might come up on cases. I read so much before, it was easy to get all of the information. And as a private joke to myself, I dabbled a little bit in explosive engineering. Who knew when I might need to make something catch on fire quickly? With my personal past, it was a good thing to know in case I came into contact with someone who personally wanted to kill me.

I also had gained a weapon license and was extremely skilled with a knife. Though it hurt me to have to hurt other people, I was past the hesitation now. What my job entitles wasn't an afraid girl cowering in the corner; I had to be the one fighting to save the girl in the corner.

"Well, I think we should get going," Meka said grudgingly, stepping toward my car. I shot him a glance. "Here, you know what? I'll just go in the back seat so you don't throw a hissy fit at me."

I rolled my eyes. "You know what? The only thing in this world that is really mine and not paid for by someone else is that car. Show some decency towards it."

Morgan chuckled deeply, the sound echoing in his wide chest. "I would listen to her Meka. You saw what she did to Jen when she scratched her car." Both men looked at me warily at the memory.

I smiled wickedly. "It wasn't that bad. Just hotwiring her car a little so the horn would go off whenever she pressed the gas metal. Easy enough to fix," I said nonchalantly, shrugging.

"It was to her," Meka whispered, shaking his head gently. Jen was his fiancée, having proposed right after a short mission in Brazil about three months ago.

That had been one of the easier missions I had been in. Especially while we were in Rio. I had been distracted the entire time, feeling like I was in the wrong place, looking for the wrong things. It had been horrible while we were searching the Ghetto for a black market thief working for someone in the richer class of the country. I had felt the need suddenly to go down a few streets, to a small inn. I had almost been shot in the head from my distraction. Lesson learned there. One that should have been fairly obvious.

No distractions. No past. Only focus on the now.

I wasn't the same girl I had been a year ago.

No, I had grown up a great deal. When I used to shy away from any arguments, I now took them up easily, in an attempt to forego the violence. I didn't get ill from blood anymore, since I had been around it enough. But I still felt an extreme guilt for every death and show of violence I participated in.

"Well," Morgan said as he stepped around my car. "Let's head out. We need to try and find any history or reports of whatever has been going on in Europe. I agree with the director. It is worrying."

I nodded, and stepped into my car, quickly putting it into drive. Both men flew forward slightly before managing to put on their seatbelts. Laughing quietly to myself, I pulled out of the parking lot of my apartment complex and Independence Avenue, a straight path to the Library of Congress.

"You know, we risk our lives enough when we're in the field. Maybe we should try to be a little more careful when we're at home," Meka said uneasily as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

I looked back at him from the rearview mirror before glancing at Morgan. "What's up with him?" I asked nodding back to Meka.

Morgan shook his head. "You know how he can get a little car sick. He just doesn't like your driving much because it's a little reckless," he sighed.

I raised my eyes. "You have no idea what reckless driving is," I muttered under my breath before a twinge of pain rippled the frail edges of the hole in my chest. My face didn't show the brief pain, though. I had gotten used to hiding my true emotions and feelings.

"Hey, I just remembered…" Meka suddenly spoke up, most likely in an attempt to hide the world flashing by us at an extremely fast speed. No tourists were out right now, since it was well past sundown. Only the homeless and those with late job shifts wandered the streets right now. And the occasional agent of one of the multiple organizations that had headquarters in this city.

"Just remembered what?" I asked him carefully, praying it wasn't what I thought it was. The leaves were just beginning to change color, and I dreaded the up coming date.

"Your birthday is in a two days, right? What were you planning to do for it?" Meka asked, leaning forward and bracing himself between the two front seats.

I raised my eyes at him and gave a mock smile. "Oh, you do care! I'm shocked!" I teased. He scowled at me and I became serious. "I wasn't planning on doing anything actually. The gala is the night before, and then we're going to be on a plane to Munich the next morning I thought to follow up on whatever's happening out there. There's no time to do anything." And I myself really wasn't up for celebrating the horrible event.

"I thought people your age were supposed to be happy about turning nineteen. You can finally drink legally now in Canada!" Meka protested and I chuckled at him.

"Like that really matters to me at this point? The only difference between now and when I turn twenty-one will be that my ID actually gives out the right age. I'm not really going to get to act my age much anyways." I snorted. No one had wanted people to think the government was training kid's fresh out of high school to be government agents. Though my story was slightly different than that.

"Here we are," Morgan said as I pulled into the parking lot of the large library. He pulled a black card out of his pocket, and Meka and I did similar. They were our IDs, which granted us passage and immunity throughout the world. It was pretty nice to have when you got pulled over. No one could give me a ticket now, especially when I was working. Police in the area had learned to ignore the calls of a speeding black Mustang with a red stripe down the middle. My baby.

"Who or what do you think could be causing all the thefts and break-ins in Europe right now?" Meka asked in a hushed voice as we were accepted into the large library. No one answered him as we went to the side, to the utility hallway. We stepped into the third door on the right, slipping in our IDs to the key lock. Morgan put his thumb to the discreet fingerprint scanner disguised as an office sign. The door opened to a room lined with books, and a large desk in the middle made of Plexiglas, with several computers and room for books and charts on it. The walls were black, and the lighting mostly came from the lights illuminating the bookcases. None of us bothered to turn on the light; we wouldn't be here long, and didn't need to attract more attention than necessary.

I answered him as we stepped in. "I think I might have an idea, but I want to look into it further first before seriously considering it," I said, walking over to a shelf built into the wall, grabbing a very detailed book on different cults and sects in the old Catholic church in Italy. "Do either of you have any ideas?"

Meka shook his head, looking at the thick book I was holding with suspicion. Morgan though, had also grabbed a book, one on and old Nazi group thought to still be remaining. I frowned at his choice, and he noticed. "Hey, I can have my own theories too, right?" he asked with a shrug. "Anyway, a lot of old Nazi groups have been known for stealing things that they had originally taken during the Second World War A few of the books that have been taken have been traced back to old Nazi store houses. And some of the old technology," he said with a significant look, raising his eyes at the thick volume I held.

"Just because it says cults and sects of the Roman Catholic church doesn't mean that they can't be interested in science too." Then an idea came to me. "Though our ideas may be mixed. The particular group I'm interested in may have had members with roots to Hitler's regime." I frowned, opening the book and quickly leafing through it for the cult I was worried about.

"That could be true," Meka said, leaning back against the wall. His Hawaiian tan seemed more prominent in the darkness of the room, making him blend in with the shadows. "A lot of groups sided with the Nazi's, trying to get on their good side so that when they took over the world, they would be able to force their ideals onto more people more efficiently."

I nodded absently, sucking in a breath and letting it out as I found the section I wanted. "Here we are. The Guardians of the Shadow. A very, very old society dating all the way back to the time of the Knights Templar. Maybe even before, though no record says for sure. They belonged to the Vatican, apparently part of the group that hunted witches and burned them at the stake. Their job was to hunt down all of "The devils creatures" and send them back to hell. They had to hunt witches, werewolves, poltergeists, fairies and..." I swallowed once. "Vampires, mainly. They became too...fanatical and extreme though, in the late fifteen hundreds and were ordered by the papacy to disband and stop their work. They did stop for a period, but never stopped their search for true mythical beings," I finished, looking up at the bewildered faces of my two teammates.

"You think a group of old witch hunters could be behind all the thefts?" Meka said, his eyes wide. Morgan just stared at me, clearly worried for my mental stability. I could almost see him wondering in his head if I had finally lost it, if going through what I did finally made me snap.

I smiled smugly at them. "One of the stolen pieces was the original Dracula by Bram Stoker," I said. "And some artifacts were silver bullets, old wooden stake found in an old Nazi leaders home, and..." I looked down, "a very, very old key that has long since been believed to lead to an arcane source of wisdom of power, created by a group of immortals. Whoever has it can create these immortals supposedly and use their power to unleash upon the world."

Meka still looked at me like I was crazy, but Morgan now was nodding at me. "That actually makes sense. And a lot of the things you mentioned seem to have to do with vampires, which fits the criteria of the Guardians of the Shadows. And the Nazi connections..." he trailed off, obviously thinking. Then he nodded and smiled at me. "Good work, kid," he complimented. I shook my head at the nickname almost everyone at the office had for me. It got annoying.

Meka shook his head. "I can't believe we're going to be chasing a group of psychos who think vampires are real," he muttered, and I fought back a flinch. Then he sighed. "Okay, I guess we have our target. You gonna bring that book with you?" he asked.

I nodded. "There's a lot more on this group in here that might be useful to us," I said. He nodded and took it from me, quickly scanning it into the wall. He handed it back to me, giving me a careful look. I rolled my eyes. "I know, I know. This book is super old. Don't do anything that could damage it and lose the info it that might be needed for other missions. I get it."

Morgan laughed. "Meka, she's been with us for almost a year now. She gets the drill by now." I nodded. "And we should get going. Bella has to study for her next test." Now I scowled.

I already had one fast track degree: one in computer sciences—basically I was a hacker. But I was going for my second right now, in explosive technology. I would be the youngest one in the department with a double degree, but I was also the only one who hadn't served in the special services, having been recruited green. I wanted to make up for it by being even more helpful.

"Okay boys, let's go," I said with a sigh, leading the way out of the room that really didn't "exist."


	2. Sweet Dreams

**Sweet Dreams**

_I'm __with You—Avril Lavigne_

_I walked forward blankly, focused mostly on the task that had brought me to Seattle. I really needed a new coat, and Charlie insisted that I go to town and have some fun, in addition to shopping. He had even given me some money, though most of it had gone towards getting gas for my old truck on the way here. That thing really sucked up fuel._

_ I looked around, realizing I wasn't sure where I was going. I knew I was in downtown Seattle, and definitely in the shopping district, but I had no idea which store I should go into. I really didn't care either. I didn't mind just walking around though. The cool October air stung my skin, and it felt good, taking away the pain deep inside me._

_ A loud crack echoed above me, and suddenly I found myself pushing a tall man with black hair down to the ground, a bullet hitting the sidewalk and pulling up cement. Screaming erupted around me, and I felt my heart hammering. I had no idea what had just happened. Why had someone just shot this man? _

_ The man below me stared at me in shock, his bright green eyes staring intently into mine. But then something seemed to occur to him, and he jumped up dragging me with him. "Thank you," he whispered to me, still clutching my arm. I just stared at him, unsure of why he was holding onto me. The reason became apparent soon enough._

_ Another crack echoed, and he pushed me into the wall, away from the deadly ball of metal. It was obvious that whoever was trying to kill this man didn't like witnesses. So now I was a target too. I just stared at the tall man, suddenly scared. This wasn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to stay safe, not do anything stupid. Even if I didn't want to remember anything, I had made a promise._

_ Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. It wasn't a good thought, or a healthy one. But it made me oddly happy, filling me with a sense of almost release from the pain. I could die here today, and it wouldn't be my fault, so I wouldn't have broken my promise. And then it wouldn't hurt anymore. The pain would be gone. And who cared about my life? I certainly didn't. Only Charlie and Renee would be upset, and they both were probably expecting me to do something stupid to myself. _He_ wouldn't care at all. I shied away from that thought, scared of the pain that it would bring._

_ "Come on," the man whispered to me, pulling me inside of a bank, breaking me from my self-destructive thoughts. He tugged me away from any windows, and let go of me finally. I stared at him for a moment, bewildered. "I'm really sorry," he said, and sounding sincere. "I didn't know that anyone was in Seattle that could be...dangerous. I'm afraid that when you pushed me out of the way, you became part of a game that's too dangerous to be apart of."_

_ "What?" It was all I could say._

_ He shook his head and opened his mouth to speak, when suddenly, the door to the bank opened and a man in a gray suit entered, with a blue tie and neat, trimmed grey hair. He looked at the man in amusement. "Ah, Commander Alber! So nice to see you again," he said warmly, though I heard the danger in that friendliness. I moved away from him, suddenly feeling like I shouldn't be here. Unfortunately, my small movement caught his attention. "Ah, and who might this be? Is she a new recruit of yours for your...department in DC?" _

_ Commander Alber shook his head. "No. I just ran into her on the streets, quite by accident. I bumped her and wanted to see if she was alright." The lie fell so smoothly from his lips that I almost believed it._

_ The scary man nodded. "Ah, I see." Then he turned to me. "So miss, you have no idea what Zeta is?" _

_ I cocked my head to the side, feeling a healthy dose of fear, but even more confusion. Beside me, Alber stiffened. What was going on? "Um, isn't it a Greek letter?" I asked timidly. The man nodded his head, though I could see it wasn't the answer he had hoped for._

_ "Yes...it is. To most people," he added. Then he changed the subject. "What's your name?"_

_ "Bella Swan," I answered quietly, sensing that there was no point in lying._

_ He nodded. "A pretty name," he murmured, before looking over me and the man next to me sadly. "Well Bella, I must say it was nice to meet you, too bad that our time here will be cut short. Or at least yours is." _

_Alber stiffened even more beside me, and his hand went to clutch my arm again. I suddenly realized how quiet the bank was, how there were no people. What was going on?_

_ A gun appeared in the man's hand, and an odd fury mounted through me. Yes, a few minutes ago I had wanted to die. But now, at the hands of this man? No, I didn't. I had survived more than one attack by vampires, and I was not going to be killed by this human, not like this._

_ My anger seemed to flow into Commander Alber, who suddenly had me behind him, a gun also pointed at the man in front of us. Somehow the knife that had been strapped to Alber's belt found its way into my hand. My eyes widened, and I stared forward intently._

_ My protector didn't hesitate; the trigger was pulled and the man was suddenly in a pool of red on the floor. I gasped, and Alber turned, looking at me sadly. "I'm sorry about that," he said. "I was sent here to track down that man, and the people he works with, and I couldn't let him get away alive," he whispered._

I sat up, and pounded my hand down on the alarm clock, cursing it loudly in my head. I groaned and fell back down onto my pillow, wanting to fall back asleep. I rubbed my eyes anyway, trying to get rid of the sleepiness. I needed to be alert today.

The stupid gala was tonight, celebrating the leading doctors at hospitals around the country. I really had no interest in it, but everyone in my department was required to go. So that meant I had to get ready, which meant this was a whole day of torture.

As I stood up, I wondered how far I could get if I disappeared, just for tonight, and then magically reappeared for our trip to Europe. Everyone would understand, even the director. He knew I hated social events just as much as he did.

Just as I resolved to take a short train trip to NYC, my pager vibrated. I quickly ran over to it, worried that something important came up. I lifted it up quickly to read.

_Don't even think about leaving town._

It was from the director. So obviously, it seemed, I would be tortured and forced to go.

Whoop-de-do. Everyone just loved to get to me, didn't they?

With a sigh, I went into my bathroom. It was connected to my room, which was nice. My whole apartment was nice, actually. I had gotten it about five months ago when I decided I needed someplace to stay other than Jen's apartment. It had two bedrooms—one of which I converted into my office—two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a small living room space. It was pretty comfortable.

After a very relaxing shower, I quickly toweled off and went into my closet, glancing around for a dress I could wear. I had several gowns for occasions such as this, or when I needed to go undercover somewhere. I had been to several nice dinners before, pretending to be a rich patron.

I decided on wearing a peach colored dress with white stilettos and a white clutch to go with it. The dress was personally a favorite of mine, since I didn't have to actually go and buy it. It was a gift from a wealthy man in Europe who had asked for Zeta's help. He had given it to me to wear to a thank you party he had afterwards, claiming that it would make me look amazing. And it did, from the amount of men staring at me. It clung to the body tightly until about the waist, when it smoothly flowed down to the floor. The sleeves went all the way down to my fingers, made of some gauzy material that sparkled. There was a small hole at the ends of the sleeves for my thumbs to go into. Overall, it had a very classical look to it. I had a pearl necklace to go with it, and pearl earrings.

Around noon, after I finally got my hair into a nice looking bun and was just beginning to apply makeup, my phone started vibrating. I walked over to it, curiously opening it up. "Hello?" I asked cautiously.

"Hey Bella, what's up?" A familiar voice asked.

I smiled, memories of youthfulness washing over me. "Hi, Jacob. Not much really. I'm just getting ready for a party for work." It wasn't so much a lie as an omission of truth. No one from my past knew that I was really working for a secret organization. They thought I just had gotten lucky after graduating almost seven months early and leaving for the east coast with a great job at a low level government building while I was also taking college classes in the area.

"That must be fun," Jacob said sarcastically. Then he laughed a little nervously. "So Bella, has Charlie talked to you yet?"

"Talked to me about what?" My curiosity was at its peak. What had Jacob nervous? He was usually a very confident person.

"Oh, um, well…ah, what the heck. It's better if I tell you so you don't chew anyone's head that can't take it." I laughed slightly. It was true that Jake could take a bit more than most people, seeing as he could turn into a huge mutant dog like a few others from the Quileute Tribe. I had found out quite by accident, having just come back from a trip to D.C. The wolves thought at first that I was a vampire from the way I had been driving my car. They had come out at me, and I had been…freaked out.

Shaking my head at the memory, I waited for Jake to speak. When he didn't, I decided to prompt him. "And so you were going to tell me...?"

He sighed. "Well, your dad decided to have a super big Thanksgiving dinner I guess, and he wants you to know now so you can come to it."

"Why would I get upset about that? I don't mind coming home," I said, frowning. "I had actually been planning to go home for thanksgiving anyways."

"Really?" Jacob said in surprise. "Charlie thought you just really didn't want to come home. I mean, you haven't been here since you found out about me and stuff…"

"I've just been really busy Jake," I said, sighing. "I know I haven't been home, and I've really wanted to pop in for a visit. I just haven't had time between schoolwork out here and running around for my job. It was hard enough to get the week of thanksgiving off."

Laughter came from the other line. "If you didn't get such good pay, I would have told you to go and quit right now."

I laughed as well. "And I wouldn't have listened to you. I happen to really like my job. I'm modeling my courses after it so I can get a promotion," I lied. It came out smoothly no, not even a tremble. I lied daily now, and was quite used to it.

"Alright. I'll see you later, then," he said. I said my goodbyes as well, and hung up. I put the phone down into the dock, and sighed. I hated having to lie to the people who didn't deserve it. But they also didn't need to know the truth. I'd rather have them in the dark than in danger.

Well, not as much danger. Vampires and werewolves were enough for any one person. Lucky me, getting humans on the list as well.

It's a wonder I'm not dead.


	3. Champagne on the Eve

**Champagne on the Eve**

_I Caught Myself—Paramore _

"I'm sorry for ruining your birthday for this assignment," the man accompanying me into the gala said. "But you know why I had to send you. You're one of the few people who work well with historical situations, and you know the history of the Guardians of the Shadow as well."

"It's fine. I wasn't planning on doing anything anyway. I think you saved me from Meka trying to take me from Canada and getting drunk," I said with a laugh. Director Brown laughed as well.

Jason Brown was a half Asian, half Caucasian man who stood an impressive six foot two. He had an incredibly sharp mind, and fast reflexes. He had been amazing in the field, but was even better now at coordinating our entire department. He had been given the spot as director after the previous director retired after getting Alzheimers. Zeta was now an international force to be reckoned with.

"Well, try not to do that tonight. Your ID may say you're twenty-one, but you're only just turning nineteen. Don't get a hangover to celebrate your birthday," he warned, though his smile slightly ruined the severity of his comment.

I shook my head with a chuckle. "A glass of champagne is as much as I'll have tonight, sir. You don't have to worry."

He nodded. "Good," he said. Then something flickered on his face. I looked in the direction he was facing and saw the Attorney General, talking to a tall man with blond hair whose back was to us. "Will you excuse me for a moment?" he asked. I nodded, and he strode over to the high ranking man, also shaking hands with the blond man, who seemed slightly familiar.

I shook my head. I could have seen him anywhere here in Washington D.C. I walked over to where I saw Meka and Jen standing, a glass of champagne in both of their hands.

"Is that good?" I asked doubtfully, eyeing the amber drink.

"It's an acquired taste," Jen said before her fiancée could say anything. She smiled at him, and he scowled back.

"Ah Meka, you have a whole plane trip to make fun of Bella," Morgan said from behind me. I glared at him, and he raised his eyes at me. "You know he would have anyways even if I didn't say anything."

Jen and Meka both laughed at the way my face fell. "I know," I sighed. "But you think he would be more mature than me, seeing as he's ten years older than me," I said sadly, winking at Jen, who laughed even harder now, setting down her drink on a table so it wouldn't spill.

Morgan chuckled lightly next to me. "She's got you there," he said to Meka, mock punching him. Meka gave a sadistic smile to me, raising his eyes to tell me that this wasn't over yet. I gulped.

"Bella!" A voice called to me. I turned to see Director Brown waving me over. I came over, walking past an open window as I did. The blond next to him tensed slightly, and I began to walk slower, as if I knew what was happening before it really clicked.

I came to stand behind Brown, who was smiling with his little group. "Everyone, this is Isabella Swan, one of my prodigies. Bella, this is Chase Hurtwin, the Attorney General, and this is Dr. Carlisle Cullen, who works in Ithaca. He's a very skilled surgeon."

I froze, but didn't let myself show the sudden turmoil and pain that erupted inside of me, the glass shards tearing apart my chest, making it hard to breathe like it was whenever I thought of _him_. I kept my face benign, though, and I smiled to Hurtwin, and I smiled at Carlisle as well, acting as if I didn't know him. He wasn't as good at hiding his emotions as me, shock filling his eyes.

"It's nice to meet all of you," I said, looking away from the golden eyes that reminded me so much of the ones that I missed. "Though I'm not sure why Jason wants me to," I added, raising an eyebrow at my boss.

He chuckled. "Nothing slips past you, does it Bella?" he asked rhetorically. I smirked, and Carlisle coughed to hide a small laugh. Jason put his arm on my shoulder. "You're just a very special girl. I bet you'll have my job when I retire."

I shook my head with a laugh. "I'm sorry sir, but I like my work too much I think."

"What is it exactly that you do?" Carlisle asked, curiosity burning in his tone. He was staring at me oddly now, as if he was over the shock and now was confused to find me here, with the people around us.

I smiled at him. "My job's really not too exciting. I just help Interpol with stolen artifacts, looking up histories and likely reasons behind the thefts. Nothing too difficult." And the almost getting killed part, and now the vampire part, I really didn't want to mention.

Carlisle appraised me for a moment, and then nodded. I knew at once that he knew that I was lying. And that he probably would want to talk to me later. I would have to be very careful for the rest of the evening. I had kept his secret: I was allowed to keep mine.

"So Chase, did you bring your kids here tonight?" Director Brown asked after a short silence.

"No, I didn't think they would have too much fun here. How about you, Dr. Cullen?" Hurtwin asked, bringing the vampire back into the conversation. "You have any family here tonight?"

I stared at him anxiously, praying he would say no. Seeing him was already ripping my heart apart. I didn't know what I would do if anyone else was here. I couldn't have a meltdown, or else I couldn't go to Europe, and I was the only one who really knew what was going on. Being an emotional wreck wouldn't help with that.

He nodded, and my heart plummeted to the ground. He must have noticed the color leaving my face, since he was staring at me in concern as he answered. "My wife Esme and my daughter Rosalie came here, as well as my sons Emmett and," please, please don't say it "Edward. I think Esme and Rosalie are over on the other end of the room, and Edward and Emmett will be coming later. They were having car troubles, I believe."

Okay. Not so bad. If I leave soon I might not see any of them, and be able to remain sane when I go to the airport in the morning. Then I can just forget that this ever happened. I definitely had plenty to distract me.

"Well, I hope they have a good time, and that your sons can fix their car," I said with a smile to Carlisle. I wondered briefly whose car it was. It probably wasn't the jeep or the Volvo, considering the event. Most likely the Aston Martin. "I hope you all have good evening gentlemen," I said, nodding to all of them.

Jason looked at me funny. "Morgan and Meka should probably leave right now too so they can get some rest before we all leave," I murmured to him so the other humans couldn't hear me. I wasn't sure about Carlisle. Director Brown nodded and excused himself as well to go talk to his other agents that were going with me.

I went and got my coat from the rack, and then stepped outside into the cool night. I frowned slightly at the wind spreading the cold air, odd for this time of year.

"Have a good night, Miss," the person at the door said, holding the guest list in his hand.

"You too," I said with a smile. He nodded at me, and looked away towards a small group of people entering. I sighed, and stepped into the cool night air.

I walked down the steps of the building the gala was hosted in, and then down the street to where I parked my car. It was only a block down, so I didn't have to go too far.

As I walked, I became aware of someone near me. I looked around, carefully scanning the dark street. I didn't see anybody, but that didn't mean that they weren't there. I continued walking, my ears alert but my posture relaxed. I was going to play a little game.

Still aware of someone following me, I got the keys to my car from my purse, while the wind whipped my hair away from the people I thought were following me.

"You know, if you want to try and follow someone, try to make it so they don't notice," I called out in a clear voice. My voice echoed down the street for a moment as the only sound. And then there was a loud, audible gasp and a quick scuffling, and then I saw a large figure coming at me before I was embraced in a tight hug that pulled me off my feet. The arms around me were cold, and I knew who they belonged to at once.

"Squirt! Wow, I've missed you!" Emmett said happily, spinning me around in a circle. Though I felt glass shards in my chest, I managed to laugh with the little air I had left.

"I've missed you too Emmett!" I gasped. "Now, I sort of need to breathe…" I added, my lungs burning for air. He laughed and set me down, grinning as I took some deep breaths. Then he looked me over, and his face became confused.

"You know, if you're going to the party, it's in the other direction," he said with a jerk of his head.

"Yes, I would go that way if I was going _back_ to the party," I replied in a dry voice, not wanting to have the argument I knew was seconds away. This was the reason I had left, and now it was slapping me in the face.

Emmett sighed. "Bella, you do not leave a party before midnight. That is what grandmas do, and you are definitely not a grandma," he said, looking me over again. "You know, I think Alice might approve of that dress."

Ah, another name to help rip my heart up. Was somebody determined to have me die of heartache tonight? Because I was getting really close. But for now, I had to act normal.

"I bet she would. This is an original and one of a kind," I said smugly.

"How did you manage that?" Emmett asked. I was aware of another presence moving in closer now through the darkness, brought in by his own curiosity. Fine then. I started this mess by playing a game; I would end it by playing a game.

"Oh, I got it from a very rich and very grateful person I helped out last spring," I said causally, shrugging my shoulders as if it wasn't a big deal.

The shadow hissed, and Emmett blinked, too surprised to say anything. The shadow was what infuriated me though. Why does he have to torture me? He almost killed me when he left, and now he's acting like he cares what I do? It wasn't fair!

Emmett began laughing. "So you actually got some?" he asked. "Wow Edward, she's only eighteen and she beat you to it!" A low growl came from the shadows, which I ignored. I wanted him to stay right where he was, so I wasn't going to do anything to provoke him to step into any light.

"That's not what I meant Emmett," I said, raising my eyes at him. "It was a person whose life I had saved and he threw a party and me and some of my friends were invited. Oh, and I'm turning nineteen tomorrow, just to remind you."

"How did you save his life?" Emmett laughed, clearly thinking of when I had almost been killed by James. I lightly fingered the scar on my hand from the memory, making it look like I was thinking of something else so I wouldn't have to answer. I slightly stepped over to my car as well.

"Oh my god! You have a Mustang?" Emmett said almost reverently now, running over to my car and staring at it with lust filled eyes. He reached out to touch it and I swatted his hand away.

"Don't touch my baby," I snapped.

"Why is everyone so protective of their cars?" Emmett asked, exasperated. "I'm not going to break any!"

I cocked my head to the side. "So what was this car trouble Carlisle told me about then?" I asked, a small smile playing on my lips. This game was getting fun now. Emmett was too easy.

"Edward's fault," he muttered. I tensed every so slightly as he spoke his brothers name, and even more when said brother stepped forward into the light so I could see him.

Every memory of him seemed like a cheap replica of the Mona Lisa. They were so flawed compared to his real beauty. His bronze hair glowed in the sparse light, still the untidy mess it always was. His strong jaw, his full lips and wide eyes, the paleness of his skin: it was all perfect. His eyes seemed to burn, a glowing gold, as they stared at me briefly, before turning to Emmett. My heart pounded in my chest, though I controlled my face. I just made myself look slightly surprised instead of overwhelmed like I felt. No, overwhelmed wasn't the right word. Shock might be a little better.

"Actually, _you_ are the one that changed the tires on _my_ Aston Martin before telling me it was time to go. _You_ are the one that didn't listen to Rosalie when she said not to touch it." He said, his voice almost a growl.

As he spoke, I began to realize there was something…off. He looked more haggard, his voice worn and tired. Had something bad happened to him? Did he get hurt somehow?

Emmett put his hands up. "Whatever, man." He then turned to me, but my phone rang before he could say anything. As I fished it out of my purse, I heard him mutter "_And_ a phone. I want her job."

"Swan here," I said into the phone, ignoring the two vampires next to me who both were now staring intensely at me.

"Where are you?" a voice asked hurriedly. I recognized Morgan's voice at once, and the slight wave of panic in it.

"I'm about a block from the gala, right outside my car. I ran into some old friends who were coming to the party too," I said, my voice slightly questioning. Was there a problem? "Did something happen?"

"Jen got into a car accident."

Horror washed through me. "Oh my god…" I completely forgot about the two people standing by me, both watching me, though one much more intense than the other. "Was Meka with her in the car?"

"No, he was coming home with me before we went to the airport. But he would have been, and he would have been in the passenger seat, which is where the car was hit."

"Has anyone tried to attack you yet?" Training was kicking in now.

"No, we were already at command when the attack happened, getting our supplies early so we could adjust it." A loud sigh. "You know Meka. His toys have to be perfect."

I laughed, but it came out slightly strangled. "Well, I would stay there if I were you. I'll watch my back as well. I'll just pop home, get my bags, and we can leave for the airport in about two hours or so."

"That sounds good to me. Call me if you have any problems," Morgan said before hanging up. I frowned as I shut my phone, quickly scanning the streets, an old habit born from paranoia.

"What do you mean someone might attack you?" Edward said, crossing his arms. His eyes were narrowed as he stared me down, reminding me of the promise I had made him that was blown away only a month after I made it.

"I mean that someone might come and try and kill me because I did something to piss them off," I said nonchalantly, folding my arms as well and staring at him with raised eyes.

"Wait a minute," Emmett said, looking me over again. Edward broke his stare from me and rolled his eyes after glancing at Emmett and turned away. I looked from him to Emmett, who had an oddly thoughtful look to his eyes. "Nice dress, fancy party, sweet car, cell phone, death threats…" My eyes widened as he stared at me. Could he have figured out what I did? "Oh my god Bella, you're a drug dealer!" Apparently not.

I rolled my eyes with a sigh. "No Emmett, I am not a drug dealer. The only drugs I even carry around are generally aspirin and cough drops. And whatever is in a first aide kit."

Even Edward chuckled slightly, though it seemed strained. He turned back towards us and seemed about to say something when all three of us froze, him a second before Emmett and I.

As I heard the _crack_, I immediately threw myself backwards, throwing my hand into my purse again, this time looking for a small gun I carried on me. It only had three shots in it, and I had no other ammo on me. I pulled it just as Emmett and Edward moved towards me, and raised it in the direction the shot had come from, across the street. I scanned the windows, and Edward and Emmett surrounded me protectively. Neither of them noticed the small gun I held as they stood in front of me, like a vampire shield.

I shifted the direction of my gun as I saw a flicker of movement. I pulled the trigger and it shot a bullet at the person who was just shifted their gun to meet mine, a small _pop_ echoing down the street from my silencer. I hit him in the shoulder, and he fell forward from the two story window.

"Catch him," I whispered, grateful for the two lightning fast vampires by me. I wanted this man alive to bring back to headquarters.

Edward nodded, more willing to help than Emmett seemed, who had stiffened as the man fell. I glanced at him and saw his eyes were darker than a moment ago. The blood must be getting to him.

Edward caught the man and instantly lowered him to the ground, stepping back carefully, not risking temptation. Something flickered in my mind, but I shoved it away, not wanting to deal with anything but the present.

I went over to the man and took his ski mask off, not being as careful as I should have been. This man could have been the reason for my death. He wasn't exactly on my good list.

He had eastern European features. His skin was pale and he had short, icy blond hair. I imagined that if his eyes were open, they would be icy blue. I had a feeling that a little too much information had been leaked to our contact. And that meant we had to avoid him in Europe.

I reached into the man's pocket, causing Edward's eyes to widen and Emmett to cough. I rolled my eyes at their typical male behavior, and pulled out the man's ID and a wad of cash. Very sloppy. You never have your ID on you while trying to assassinate someone. It made your client get into more trouble than they would wish for.

Looking at the ID though, I could tell it was a fake. But the money wasn't, and it would help more than the ID anyway. I put the things into my purse, and stood up.

"Well, it's been nice seeing you both," I said, looking at the ground. For some odd reason, I was feeling lighter right now, no pain coursing in me like normal. I felt healed, whole. Just from being in his presence. And it made me that much more afraid to leave now, to go back to the pain I knew that was inside the coming goodbye.

"Where are you going?" Edward asked softly, and I lifted my head to his face. His eyes were very warm, though worry and a slight amount of anger swam in them, and I knew at once he didn't want me to go. I had to beat back the intuition again, trying to stay focused.

I nodded down to the unconscious assassin. "I have to take him to my…superiors for questioning. See if he belongs to a cult we've been following." I said. I didn't even need to hide anything from them. Edward just needed to go into the gala, read one of my fellow agent's thoughts, and he would know everything anyway.

Emmett seemed to be having more trouble than he was letting on. Edward suddenly nodded to him. "Yes Emmett, you can go. Tell Carlisle what happened, and that I'll see him later." He paused and looked at me for a moment. He seemed encouraged by something in my face, and seemed to decide something. "I'm going to help Bella with _that_," he said, looking down at the bloody man in disgust.

I startled slightly. "What?"


	4. Secrets to Keep

**Secrets to Keep**

_Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)—Wyclef Jean_

Edward smiled crookedly, and my breath caught. My pulse hammered, and that just made him seem happier. Emmett just shook his head and blurred away. "You're going to need help lifting him. And I'm sure you don't want to make your car all bloody." He slipped off his black jacket—I suddenly noticed that he was in a suit—and handed it to me. "Put it on the back seat so he can lie on it."

I nodded, and walked over to my car, opening the back and laying it down where his shoulder would be. Edward lifted the man up and carefully set him in, tying his tie around the wound. I watched him for a moment, wondering why he had always had thought of himself as a monster when he was so gentle, before turning to the car and turning it on. Edward got in the passenger seat, and I pulled out of my parking spot, turning toward Zeta.

"I thought you didn't like it when people drove like this," Edward asked, staring at me with an odd expression on his face.

I didn't look over at him, instead keeping my focus on the dark streets. "Times have changed," I said, my voice slightly harder than I meant it to be. His face, from what I could see in my peripheral vision, fell slightly, became unemotional. The face reminded me of the day he had left me, and something in me hardened just like in my voice.

I pulled up to the building that secretly housed Zeta. It looked like any of the other offices in the capitol, which it really was. It was just when you got below the ground that it held any interesting additional offices. Zeta went three floors below the ground, and spread out a bit further than the basement. The top three floors were filled with a few of our agents, but it was really an accounting office.

"Come on," I whispered, getting out of the car and opening the back seat for Edward to get the man. As I closed the door, I hit a button on the pager in my purse, making it look like I was locking the door. Two men would be coming out in a moment to assist us. I would have to go home and pack, and then I would be on a plane to Europe. In addition, I would be away from Edward, maybe forever.

Sure enough, as we walked inside, two men came up to us, dressed casually. I recognized them as people I knew that had medical degrees. "Tell Commander Alber that this man was sent to get me, similar to what happened to Jen. Also that I need to get my things and that I'll meet him at the airport," I said briskly. Both men nodded and carried the man away, down the hallway. I became aware of a low growl coming from next to me.

"What are you doing, working here?" Edward hissed. "I thought you promised not to do anything reckless or stupid!"

I closed my eyes. Here was the argument I had with myself when I first met Morgan. Keep my promise and be a desk worker, or break it and have a life to live? "Well," I started. How could I say this so it would make sense to the beautiful vampire standing beside me? "How can I live without doing something a little reckless? How can I learn if I don't make stupid mistakes? What you asked me to do was to just go through life without really _living_ it."

"No, I wasn't," Edward said, and his voice was hard. I turned to him in surprise, and he was staring at me with narrowed eyes. "I asked you to live life without doing things that could get you killed!"

"Too late for that," I muttered, rubbing my arm where a long red knife wound was. I had had it for a few weeks, and it still hurt as bad as it did when I got it. Meka thought that there had been acid or something on the knife that had been used on me and it wasn't letting it heal. Luckily, Edward could not see it. I was sure he would get even angrier, though I wasn't sure why. However, right now, he was still, looking into space, obviously reading someone's mind. As I turned, he seemed to become aware of our surroundings again.

I could feel Edward following me, staring at me, but I didn't acknowledge him as I strode outside. This discussion was over. "I don't think I'll be able to give you a ride back to the gala. My apartment is in the opposite direction, and I'm in a rush now." I swallowed once, knowing that I was about to go through a lot of pain. "It was nice seeing you again," I whispered, still not looking at his face. I was at my car now, and was about to open the door when I felt a cold hand grab my arm and spin me around.

"Bella," he whispered, and my heart hammered unnecessarily. "Look at me, please," he whispered. I couldn't disobey him. I looked up, and his golden eyes were impossibly deep and tender, staring down into my own.

"What?" I breathed, lost in his gaze. What was wrong with me? I could stare calmly into a gun pointed at my face, but I completely lost my mind looking at him? Just staring into the deep honey pools that were his eyes?

"Don't go there, please," he pleaded. "It's not safe for you in Italy. You will be killed as soon as one of my kind realizes what you know, which will happen fast with what you were planning to do there. Why would you even be doing this?" Obviously, it was either Meka or Morgan whose thoughts he had listened in on. Or perhaps even a techie. Too many people knew the private facts of missions, I thought angrily.

I blinked once, and ignored his question. That wasn't something he needed to know. "What do you mean? I'm going to Italy to _save_ your kind, not kill them. Why would they want to kill me?" He obviously knew what our objective was.

He looked away, and I was freed from his golden gaze. "Get in the car," he commanded, walking around to the passenger seat. He paused when he saw that I wasn't moving. "Come on," he said.

I sighed and got in, and he did the same.

"Where are we going?" I asked, starting the car.

"To your place," he answered back. Though it was dark in the car, I could still see and hear the smile on his face. I looked away, trying not to get dazzled as I had so much when I was seventeen.

"And why are we both going there?" I questioned, my voice smooth and calm like his as I began to speed down the streets. I was going a little faster than normal, my fingers tight on the stick shift.

"You asked why the vampires in Italy would want to kill you. I thought it would be better if we were someplace more…private to talk about that," Edward said carefully. I nodded, knowing that an important part of his life was making sure people didn't know about what he really was. "And you would feel more comfortable talking about your…occupation, in private as well," he added.

I tensed, and blew out a gust of air. "What makes you think I'll tell you anything about it?" I demanded.

He raised his eyes at me, and then tapped the side of his head with a grin. "Because anyone else would tell me everything, and I'm sure you would rather me learn most of it from you."

I stared forward for a minute, driving carefully now down the street, trying to reign in my emotions. "Why do you even care?" I finally whispered, my voice filled with the pain I had harbored in me since the day he disappeared from my life. "I mean, I thought you didn't—"

"Bella, watch out!" Edward suddenly exclaimed. I noticed a car swerving around, and I quickly went to the side, letting it pass. I watched it go for a moment, and then sighed.

"Dumb college kids," I muttered under my breath. You think they would be careful, here in the capitol, but they were still like any other kid after seven with a case of beer and a bunch of friends.

Edward snorted and stared at me. "Shouldn't you be in college right now?"

I shrugged. "Maybe, but I already have a degree, and a pretty good paying job, so it doesn't really matter. And I enjoy what I do, most of the time." What I didn't enjoy was the killing or being held hostage or the multiple wounds I had gotten…

"Most of the time?" Edward picked out, staring at me with raised eyes. I ignored him now, getting out of the car as I rubbed my left forearm, where the knife wound still was. Ugh, why wouldn't it heal already? Wasn't hemorrhaging almost to death enough?

Edward seemed to pick up on my mood, and silently followed me into the nice apartment complex, up to the seventh floor—not on top, but too high to climb up to. A slightly paranoid choice, but that was what I was paid to be.

Once we were in my apartment, I dropped my purse on my counter, and put my cover in the closet. Edward silently drifted over to my office, seemingly drawn to the small library I had going in there. He silently read everything as I stared at him for a moment, before composing myself and quickly going into my room to put on jeans and a black sweatshirt. I quickly scrubbed all of the makeup off my face and adjusted my hair from the twist it was in to a pony.

"You have a lot of historical books," Edward commented quietly as I stepped into my office. He now was standing over my desk, staring at the passages on the Guardians of the Shadow.

"I have a degree in general history. I needed a lot of books to study from," I said, walking over to stand next to him. It was odd, how much I felt like I did when I was seventeen. I wanted so badly to wrap my arms around him, to breathe in the delicious scent that came of his skin, to have him hold me too. It was something I had been missing since he left me.

He turned and smiled down at me. "You just have to do whatever you can to keep reading, right?"

I nodded with a grin. "Of course. Being able to read and understand almost everything is one of the greatest skills I have. I might as well do something that can correspond with that."

He nodded too, looking down at me thoughtfully. He lightly put a finger to my face, gently tracing a small scar that went from the edge of my jaw to the hollow underneath my ear. "How did you get this?" he asked suddenly, calmly, though I could almost hear the murderous workings of his mind towards whoever gave it to me.

I frowned a little. "I got that last…November, after I first met Morgan. He was trying to get me to a safe house, and we were ambushed and kidnapped." My voice grew distant as I remembered the horrors that had happened. "He tried to break us out, but a guard noticed, and I didn't notice him coming until the last second, and he nicked my jaw. All I remember after that was a bang, and then I was suddenly in a car going to some government hospital."

Edward blinked. "Morgan seems to save you a lot," he commented.

I sighed and nodded. "Yes, he does. I may not be as bad as I used to be, but I am still a very klutzy person." A fact that I really did hate. "It's given me more grief than ever before. I mean, the people I work with made me take _dance lessons_ to try to help! It was horrible!"

"I would hope that helped," Edward said, his face slightly amused, though it was still also very somber.

I nodded grudgingly. "I suppose it did." I sighed as Edward fought back a chuckle. I unconsciously had moved closer to him as we talked, and now stood right next to him.

He seemed to become more aware of this at the same time I noticed, and he was suddenly right in my face. I blinked once, inhaling fast and breathing in his scent, which made me more incoherent.

"Bella," he whispered. I just continued to stare into his dark gold eyes that were staring intently into mine. His face was suddenly so much closer to mine, and one of his hands came up to cradle my face. I blinked again, shock coursing through me at the tenderness and adoration in the small gesture. "I don't want you to go. Please, just stay here. You can still help even if you aren't right here."

"Why?" I breathed. "Why do you want me to stay? Why do you even care?"

It was as if I had slapped him. His face recoiled back, and his hand dropped from my face. Something akin to agony filled his eyes for a second, before suddenly two golden pools were gazing intently at me.

"Bella, how could I not care?" he said softly. "I love you."


	5. Down the Street

**Down the Street**

_You Found Me—The Fray_

I'm sure that if a mirror had been in front of me, I would have fallen over laughing. But Edward seemed to be a strong man: he was staring at me intently, as if waiting for an answer as I gaped at him, my eyes wide, my breath coming and going irregularly.

"But…but, what do you mean you love me?" I gasped, sounding as if I had just ran six miles. "You said…that day in the forest—"

He put his fingers to my lips, silencing me. His eyes looked into mine intently, almost hypnotizing me into staring back at him. "Can't you see that I was lying that day Bella?" he asked urgently, as if his life depended on how I received this news. "I lied that day! I've always loved you. I only left to try and protect you from what I was. If I hadn't thought you would be better off, I never would have left!"

Staring into his eyes as he spoke, I only saw truth in his liquid eyes, so different from the frozen pools they had been the day my life basically ended. Now I could see the emotions, the truth better than I could back then. And I realized what I had been trying to tell myself this entire evening. Edward Cullen still cares about me, still wants me.

Tears suddenly flooded my eyes as a small smile formed on my face. I nodded at him, and relief filled his features. He suddenly pulled me closer, hugging me to his hard frame. I breathed in his scent, feeling like I was home.

The emotions…the world around me seemed so much different. Instead of constant grey, black and white, I seemed to be overloaded with reds, blues, greens, yellows, oranges…golden eyes, staring into me. It was like I could clearly see him for the first time tonight. I was letting myself truly acknowledge what I felt for him. And the relief from not hiding it was staggering.

I took a deep breath. "Edward, I—"

A high shrill broke through what I was about to say, and I immediately got my phone from my pocket, opening it and holding it to my ear. "This is Isabella Swan." I noticed that Edward looked slightly disappointed, but I wasn't letting myself think of that. I may love him, but I also have my duty. And right now, my duty would be saving his life, so I had to focus, not get all twisted up in my feelings.

"Where are you? You got Morgan all worried!" Meka said. "I mean, I know girls like to pack a lot, but you normally just grab a little." I could hear the slight worry in his voice, but he knew that I could take care of myself.

"I'm sorry. I just ran into an old friend, who happened to be with when I was shot at earlier this evening. I took him to my apartment, that way he won't be tracked down in association to me."

"Oh," surprise colored Meka's tone. "Are you going to bring him back here so that someone can keep on eye on him fort he time being?"

"Oh, um," I hesitated slightly, seeing the murderous look that filled Edward's eyes. He clearly didn't want to be babysat. Or for me to be getting shot at in Europe. "I think he was going to just go to his family, which is staying in the capitol I think for the weekend." Again, Edward shook his head no.

"If you're going, then so am I," he hissed, his eyes black. I bit my lip and closed my eyes. I knew it was smart to bring him, since he could help more than anyone else. But could I pull this off?

"I mean, that's what he wants, but I think that he should come with us to Europe. He knows what's going on, as well as a bit of history on the Guardians, since he knew someone who used to be in it. I think it would be smart if we brought him." I glared at Edward as I spoke, while he looked very pleased with me going along with his wishes for once.

There was a moment of silence before Meka finally answered me. "Well, that does seem to make sense, but do you think it's smart, having a civilian come with us? You would be responsible for him the entire time."

I sighed, suddenly feeling older than my almost nineteen years. Me, having to take care of a 107 year old vampire, while hunting people who wanted to exterminate vampires. Only I could get myself into these situations. "I know Meka. I'll look out for him. We'll meet you at the airport in about thirty minutes since I'm running a bit behind."

Meka agreed with my idea, and we said our goodbyes before I hung up. Edward seemed slightly smug with getting to go with me, much like a little kid getting the cookie they weren't supposed to have until after dinner. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I'm sorry for making you let me come, but I really think that I need to," he said, getting straight to the point so that I wouldn't be able to argue. "There is a very old family there, called the Volturi, and they are the leaders of our kind. If they found out what you know without me there to protect you…" he trailed off, his eyes haunted. He shuddered slightly, and I realized that there was a lot left out in that hanging sentence, most of which I probably was better off not knowing.

I sighed. "I know that it isn't right letting you come with me, but I'm happy you are," I admitted, looking down. It was hard for me to say it, and I wanted to cover it up with some asinine excuse, but I made myself not say anything. He had admitted his feelings for me, so I should admit mine for him, even though it went against what I normally did, keeping secrets to myself.

His eyes warmed at my admittance, and he smiled at me. "Really? You don't mind having a vampire come with you to Europe?" I could see that he was teasing me now, so I decided to go along with it.

"Well, wouldn't it be a good to thing to take a vampire to Europe? I mean, he must be lost over here in America. Everyone knows that vampires are supposed to be in Romania anyway, along with Dracula and Count Orlok."

He laughed. "I doubt Count Orlok will be there, since the German filmmakers just plastered a different name onto Dracula so they wouldn't be sued by Bram Stoker's publishing company."

I shrugged, though a faint blush rose to my cheeks. I hadn't realized that when I watched the movie before. "Well, vampires live in Europe, okay? It's basically a rule if you follow the whole stereotype thing, which is what my partners are going to be doing."

He raised his eyes at me, and then grabbed my bag from me as he saw me pulling it up from the ground so that we could get going. I didn't bother arguing.

"And you're not going to correct them on their beliefs?" he asked, surprised.

I shook my head as I locked the door to my apartment. "No, since I don't want them to be aware of anymore than they need to. If they find out that vampires are actually real, you might be exposed and get into trouble. I've spent the past seven months trying to prevent that, and I'll keep it up now. Just don't laugh at anyone if you find a cross and garlic in anyone's suitcase." I warned him.

He smirked at me. "I hope I don't have to look in your bag for anything then, since you should know much better by now."

I laughed quietly, trying to not disturb anyone. "Just a lighter and some flammable body sprays," I said with a wink, grinning at the shocked look that crossed his face. Then I grew serious. "You didn't think I wasn't going to learn how to defend myself, did you? I am taking classes in explosives right now, just in case you know."

He blinked, and then opened the front door for me. "May I drive your car to the airport?" he asked formally, and I knew that he was thinking of something else. I knew from experience that it was better to let him drive, so I handed him the keys with a stern look.

He put my small bag in the trunk and was in the driver's seat before I even had my seatbelt on. "So…_have_ you had to defend yourself against any of my kind?" There was a hesitancy in the way he spoke, as if he wanted to know the answer, but didn't.

I bit my lip, staring out to the dark road flashing by, street lights becoming white blurs as Edward sped faster than even I normally dared to the airport. It would have scared me if I hadn't gone almost the same speed on a motorcycle while people were trying to shoot me when I was on one of my first missions. Or if I hadn't have been forced on the Top Thrill Dragster by a certain Hawaiian.

He turned to look at me after a few seconds, and I realized that I had to answer his question. I took a deep breath and sighed, closing my eyes in the process. "Twice. The first time was with Laurent when I visited Charlie in Forks, and he thought that I might be a good snack. The second time was in New York City, when I was doing an undercover mission with a drug dealer that we thought was connected to millionaire in Brazil. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, I guess." As had the vampire who decided that I would be his midnight snack, that was now just burnt ashes in a dumpster.

The car slowed for half a second, and then became even faster in his fury. "_Laurent_?" he hissed darkly. "What was Laurent doing in Forks?"

I shrugged. "Who knows? All I know is that he popped out of nowhere when I went to Charlie's friend's house to pick something up, and he just lunged at me. He probably was just traveling along the coast and came to see if any of you were still there"

Edward was quiet for a moment. "Well, I guess I can say that I am very grateful that you have learned to watch out for yourself," he said softly. We were both quiet for a moment until he spoke again. "Is this the right place?" he asked.

I looked up to see the private airport that was owned by the government. I blinked. "How did you know this was the right place?" I had been expecting to give him directions, but he had driven so fast I didn't realize how close were.

He gave me a crooked grin, and tapped the side of his head. "I heard it in the thoughts of one of the men you work with. I must say, it must be convenient to be able to request a private jet whenever you need it."

I nodded slightly, and got out of the car. Of course, he was out and already had my bags before I had even shut the door. He locked the car, and handed the keys to me with a grin.

"I must say, it isn't an Aston Martin, but it is a very nice car," he told me with a wink.

I laughed. "Well, at least it goes up to three hundred miles per hour. Isn't that one of your requirements?" I remembered that Rosalie had done work to all of their cars, and that many of them went closer to four hundred…

"It's a perk for me," he laughed as he grabbed my hand, and pulled me towards my humanity.


	6. White Caps

**White Caps**

_Into the Night—Santana feat. Chad Kroeger_

"There you are! We were getting worried!" Morgan exclaimed as Edward and I walked up to the private waiting area. He had been pacing around, while Meka sat on a push chair, playing with rubber ball.

I raised my eyes at him. "I'm early," I said, glancing over at Meka. "I told Meka I would be here in a half an hour about twenty minutes ago," I added with a frown. "I still have ten minutes to get here."

"Oh," Morgan said, frowning also, and glanced over at Meka. "Meka must have thought you were almost here when you spoke to him." Meka flashed a grin and shrugged, and I laughed.

"Yes. Because it's so out of character for him to mess with us, isn't it?" I asked sarcastically. Morgan smirked and nodded, before he noticed Edward standing cautiously next to me.

"Is this the boy who was with you when you were attacked?" he asked, all business now. I nodded slowly. He turned to Edward. "Alright, before I can let you on the plane, I need to talk to you, in private," he added, seeing me open my mouth. "If you'll please follow me." He led Edward into the corner, away from any security cameras that could catch what they were saying.

I bit my lip and sat down by Meka, keeping track off what was going on in the corner with my peripheral vision. Meka seemed to be watching them as well, sitting up a little bit straighter.

"So…" Meka started, flashing me a grin. "Where'd you meet _him_? I don't mean to sound weird or anything, but he looks like he just walked out of an Abercrombie ad."

I stared at him for a moment, and then burst out giggling. "That's what I thought the first time I ever saw him. But no, I knew him in high school back in Forks, and his family moved back east at the beginning of our senior year. I ran into him on my way home, and we started catching up a bit." I shrugged.

"Oh, that sucks having to move senior year," Meka said in sympathy. "That's one torture I would inflict on no one," he said, shaking his head. I remembered that something like that had happened to his cousin.

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, moving is not fun for anyone, no matter when it is," I said quietly, and Meka looked at my face a little harder, and then his eyes widened.

"That's the boy!" he suddenly exclaimed. I stared at him, raising one eyebrow. I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, though I was slightly worried that it had something to do with the mission. Meka looked down. "Well, Morgan and I had a bet on why you refused to date anyone ever, or do _anything_, really. I thought it was because you had a bad break up, and Morgan thought it was because of your work."

Suddenly aware that Edward and Morgan were both looking at me now, I sighed. "It's a mix, so how about you both give me the money?" Then I flashed a wicked grin to hide the pain lashing through me at the memory of Edward leaving.

Meka blinked, and then gave me a fierce scowl, digging out his wallet and handing me a twenty. "Morgan bet twice as much, so this should be enough money for you to take care of your friend."

I frowned at him, and glanced over at Morgan, who was talking to Edward again, trying to make it seem like he hadn't heard anything we just said. Good spy, I thought to myself sarcastically. But why had they both made bets on the somewhat obvious veil over me? I mean, it wasn't their place to do so. At least Morgan bet on my dislike for dating on something less personal. He was a really good, kind man though. A really good, kind man who was now coming over.

I decided to get a little revenge. "So, since we'll be in Italy, is there going to be any stops to see a certain someone?" I asked coyly, standing up. I smirked at him as his face went red, and behind him, Edward rolled his eyes at my teasing.

Meka sighed. "Come on, I want to get on the plane so I can take a nap." He got up and went straight to the gate, ignoring all of us. I rolled my eyes and grabbed Edward's hand, pulling him after me through the gate.

His eyes widened as he saw the plane we'd be using. "The government let you have this?" he asked in surprise.

I shrugged. "It's fast, and we really need to get over to Italy. It was going over there anyway to pick up some cargo, so we're catching a ride." The **Gulfstream** **G500 **was an incredibly fast jet, one that was rarely given out from the government for rent, since it cost a bit more than what was carried in people's pockets. But Director Brown knew how to pull the right strings.

He shook his head slowly. "For some reason, I feel like I should fear for our lives a little bit more right now. If you get this," he gestured broadly in front of us, where the large, sleek black jet loomed, "then something bad surely is coming. I mean, even Carlisle can't get this type of plane as fast as I'm guessing you needed it."

I grinned at him. "Well, no one ever said being a secret agent is easy. James Bond just glorifies it really. We don't have much time for one night stands or martinis every night."

"Says you," Meka said, waiting for us at the steps to the jet. "I could use me a nice glass of hard liquor right now." He looked up the jet, obviously wishing this more like the typical private one, with couches, a bar and other comforts waiting inside.

"Don't worry Meka. I'm sure we can find you a nice bar in Florence," Morgan said from behind us, laughing.

I turned my head sharply to him. "What are you talking about? I thought we would be going to Munich, and searching down through northern Italy?"

Morgan shrugged. "A lot of the history of the Guardians of the Shadow seems to come from that area, so I'm going green and saving us a day's drive down to Florence." I rolled my eyes at him.

"Going green? So does that mean you won't be using any rifles, explosives or toxins in the next two weeks or so?" I asked with raised eyes.

"Or anything else that could damage the ecosystem, like poison, nuclear battery cameras…" Meka said, trailing off with the glare commander gave him. I gave a short laugh, before the glare was turned to me. I just raised my eyes at him. Morgan may be almost ten years older than I was, with that much more experience, but I wasn't afraid of him.

He seemed to guess the reason for my bravery. "How many knives are strapped on you right now?" He asked with a laugh.

My face went red, and Edward raised his eyes at me. "Only five," I muttered defensively.

"_Only_ five?" Edward asked incredulously. Before I could answer, the pilot's voice came over intercom, and we all sat down in the seats, fastening the seatbelts around us. Edward only raised his eyes at me when I motioned for him to put on the seatbelts.

"I don't really need this," he said to me in a low voice, careful to not let Meka or Morgan hear from the seat pairing in front of us.

I rolled my eyes and put it in front of his face, commanding him with my eyes to put it on. He sighed, and put it on swiftly and gracefully, rolling his eyes as he did.

I wasn't sure if it would be safe to talk to him here. There could be radios anywhere, and surely Meka and Morgan weren't just going to leave the two of us to our own devices. They would want to review the mission with me, and try to make sure Edward knew as little as possible.

The takeoff went without a hitch, and soon we were thirty thousand feet, forty thousand feet, forty seven thousand feet in the air. We had been in flight for only half an hour, but already all I could see outside the window was dark ocean, with a tinge of light coming from the east.

"How long is this plane ride going to last?" Edward murmured to me quietly.

"Well…it'll be a bit faster than a normal flight. It should take us only about three to four hours to get to Florence from here," Morgan told him casually, obviously eavesdropping. I glared at the seat in front of me.

"I still say we should have started in Munich," I muttered, forgetting about how close everyone was sitting to me. "That's where the first thefts were."

"We've been through this already, Bella," Meka said, mock boredom filtering through his voice. "Morgan's being all hip and going green. Don't try to ruin his attempt at feeling younger."

I tried not to laugh, but Morgan's 'humph' just pushed me right over the edge. I burst out laughing, making myself dizzy from the pure oxygen entering my lungs so quickly.

Edward noticed this, and grabbed my shoulders. "Deep breaths, Bella. Deep breaths," he said, his topaz eyes staring intently into my own. I stared at him for a moment, before taking a slow, deep breath. He smiled at me, almost as brightly as the sun.

"Happy now?" I muttered sarcastically.

He chuckled. "Very. Now just keep breathing, and I'll be ecstatic." Underneath the humor, there was a deep tone of seriousness, which I knew came to me as a warning to stay alive, to have us stay together.

We were all quiet after that, just resting, thinking about what was coming, what we could do. We couldn't discuss much, since there could be radios in the room that the pilot could listen in on, and we didn't want anyone to overhear any classified information.

"So Bella, how _did_ you figure out the thing about vampires?" Meka asked vaguely. I glanced at Edward out of the corner of my eye, who had stiffened slightly. I stifled the urge to roll my eyes. As if I was going to go 'oh yeah, I knew because I dated one, and he's sitting beside me right now!' But, I could still have a bit of fun.

"Actually," I said slyly, "Edward here got me interested. Back in high school he used to be really into myths and legends, and his favorite was the one about vampires. I just connected the dots from some of the stories he told me, like about Vlad III and St. Germain."

I could almost imagine the wheels turning in Edward's head, coming up with a retort. "Yes, I used to be rather interested in those things. But Bella got me to be curious about _other things_," he added casually. From his tone of voice I knew what he was talking about, and my face went red. He touched my cheek with a sigh.

Morgan coughed, while Meka cackled. "Oh Bella, what are these other things exactly?" Beside me, Edward stiffened again, and I could only imagine the thoughts going through everyone's minds.

"Oh, you know, motorcycles and cars and stuff," I said in a peppy voice, which was out of character for me. Everyone was silent for a moment, and then Morgan and Meka laughed.

"You do realize how I can twist that, right?" Meka said wickedly.

"Yes, but you also know that that was the probable answer," I replied dryly. He grunted in reply, and I grinned, recognizing victory. "There's a reason people like me more than you," I teased, though it wasn't necessarily true. I was good at seeing right through things—perceptively—while Meka could annoy them to get them to tell him what he needed, though not all of it.

"Wait; speaking of cars and stuff, do you know how we'll be getting around Italy?" Meka said, changing the subject. I became still, listening, as I had wondered this as well. Edward rolled his eyes, since he could just buy whatever car he wanted without any worries.

"Yes, a silver Porsche, along with a Yamaha 2008 XT250 for Bella, since I knew you felt more comfortable with that brand," Morgan said, a slight smirk in his voice.

"Yes," I hissed. I actually did love the brand. "That's a dual one, right? Street and off-road?"

"Yes. I thought that would be a bit wiser, considering the…problems that came up when we were in Rio back in March." I could hear the laugh in his voice, and beside me, Edward froze, his eyes wide as he obviously watched whatever was going on in Morgan's head. I looked at him questioningly, but he didn't notice.

"Well, as long as it isn't raining, she should be fine," Meka said, shrugging.

"Why does Bella need a motorcycle?" Edward asked. I could hear the slight edge to his voice, and guessed that I had been thrown out of his good graces for the moment.

"Well, Bella often goes to meet the people we need to deal with beforehand, and…gets acquainted with them. She can use the motorcycle for a faster getaway." Morgan said calmly. Edward let out a low growl, and I thought that I would be the only one to hear it, but I was wrong.

"Was that the plane?" asked Meka in alarm.

For the first time, the pilot spoke to us. "No, that wasn't the plane. I'm just guessing that someone forgot to eat their dinner last night." He laughed a little. "Or any meals yesterday from the sound of it." So I was right about a radio being in here. Dang government trying to spy on us. We worked for them!

I laughed though, even though I was annoyed, as did Edward. "That was me. I didn't have lunch or dinner today, and only a really small breakfast," I admitted, hanging my head down in fake embarrassment. It was mostly true though. I had had a piece of toast for breakfast and a protein drink for lunch, foregoing dinner. Everyone chuckled a bit at that, before the pilot came on again.

"Well, next time I would advise you to eat. But for now, I'm coming down into Florence, and you all need to be ready for the altitude drops, which are faster on this plane than others. I'm going down now."

And I could feel what he meant. My ear pressure was getting more and more tight, and everything seemed to push down on me, and then suddenly it was over, and the plane smoothly touched the ground. I took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. That was the one thing I hated about planes, especially high performance jets like this one. Your body just couldn't adjust itself to the change of altitudes as fast as they came. Edward smirked slightly at the expression on my face. I stuck my tongue out at him, and turned away, causing him to chuckle slightly. Arrogant vampire.

"Welcome to Italy," the pilot said.


	7. Words of Travel

**Words of Travel**

_Secret Valentine by We the Kings_

"Ah, fresh air!" I exclaimed as I stepped out of the plane, my limbs slightly stiff from sitting still for so long. I took a deep breath of the chilled air, feeling my lungs rejoice in the clean, not-stale air. It was around noon here, but thick clouds covered the skies, luckily.

Morgan laughed, and reached forward into the Porsche he would be driving, and pulled out a black helmet, the type that covers your entire head. The visor was specially tinted so that I could see everything going on outside of it, but no one could see my face. I blinked and looked up at him. "This one's really good quality. The only seam on it is where the visor is."

He nodded. "We don't want it to break, do we?" he said with a small smile. My eye's widened and I nodded quickly.

About two months ago, another agent had been on a bike, and someone rammed into her from the side, sending her down hard to the cement—head first— and she'd been a coma ever since, just because her helmet broke along the seams. It was a bad day for a lot of us, and we'd been given quite a few driver's safety leaflets.

"Okay then, I guess I'll meet you guys at the hotel," I said with a smile, putting the helmet on securely. Just as I was about to turn for the black bike, a cold hand shot out and wrapped itself around my wrist.

"What are you doing?" Edward hissed, so quietly I could barely hear. He had a dark look on his face, and his eyes seemed a bit blacker than they were yesterday.

"Um…" I had forgotten the almost insane need he had to protect me in the year he'd been gone, since I'd spent so much of that time having to learn to take care of myself. "I'm going to the hotel, you know, on the motorcycle."

He seethed at me, but before he could reply, Morgan spoke. "Don't worry about her. She's really good with motorcycles. I think she's only had one big crash, and it wasn't really her fault." Morgan's voice was calm and soothing, but I still winced when he mentioned the crash I had had in Rio de Janeiro, and the probable mental images going through his head as he spoke of it. That really wouldn't help, especially if he was thinking of me almost dying in a ditch, having cuts in all the worse places to have cuts, my blood slowly seeping out of me and killing me.

I touched Edward's arm. "I'll be fine, don't worry."

He took a deep breath. "Can I ride with you? That way I can keep my sanity?" he murmured so quietly I could barely hear. There was the anger in his eyes from the thought of me being injured, but also a tenderness that I knew came from his desire to keep me safe, the desire that stemmed from his love for me.

I bit my lip, though I wasn't sure if he could see through the visor of the helmet. I looked up to his eyes, and was immediately lost in them, even thought they were tinted darker from my helmet. "Yeah, sure," I managed to get out.

He beamed at me, and then turned to Morgan. "Do you have another helmet that I might borrow?" he asked politely. Morgan just blinked and shook his head.

"Um, none like the one Bella has, but we have some normal ones in case of emergencies," he said uncertainly. "Why do you…" he trailed off for a moment, and then rolled his eyes at me. "Oh God Bella, does he have to be with you 24/7?"

He didn't see the cheesy smile I sent his direction. Instead, he caught the helmet Meka threw at me. "Why don't you stop to see a certain someone on the way to the hotel? She lives around here, doesn't she?" I asked.

As usually, Morgan's face went beet red, and he just scowled at me and got into the driver's seat of the Porsche. Meka laughed loudly, causing a certain finger to be raised from the window.

"Okay guys, we'll see you at the hotel. It's the Agrihotel Il Palagetto, right?" Meka paused while getting into the car, and nodded.

"The reservation is under the name 'White,"" he told me. I nodded and hopped on my bike as he got in the passenger seat of the car, and he and Morgan were off. I turned on the bike, and glanced back at Edward, who was holding his helmet in his hands and staring at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Would you mind if I drove there?" he asked, his voice very quiet. I could tell at once that something was wrong.

"Why? Is there an issue with my driving? I mean, yeah, the crash you saw in Morgan's mind was bad, but it was mostly just superficial, and wasn't my fault." I was assuming that he didn't want us to crash, which slightly miffed me, though I knew that his fears were based on the facts that he knew.

His eyes narrowed slightly, and he shook his head. "I wasn't asking because I doubt your driving skills, though that could be added to the reason. I'm just slightly concerned about where we're going. The hotel that we're going to, it's just outside of Volterra, isn't it?" The name of the city rolled off his tongue like poison.

"Yeah, Morgan said that he thinks that might be the next place the thieves hit, since it's got a history of harboring vampires during the Middle Ages - at least until a guy apparently ran them all off. His name was St. Marcus or something like that."

Edwars's expression became pained. "That's because there _is _a long history of vampires there, though Marcus never drove them off. He's one of the leaders of the vampire world." His voice was cold as he spoke; I almost didn't want to hear what was going through his mind. I blinked at him, gaping like a fish, as he went on. "And for you all to be there, especially _you_, is suicide. If they found out you knew about us, it would imminent death for all of you."

"Why would we be in trouble for knowing?" I asked, thoroughly confused. Many people seemed to know, maybe not the whole, but snippets of true vampire natures. Why would we be killed for that? I got off the bike, sliding my helmet off so I could listen to him better.

"Because there is one simple rule in the vampire world, and you are an example of it being broken," he said, his voice hard, and his eyes distant. He looked at me intently, but I just stared back at him stupefied. When he saw I had no idea of what he was talking about, he continued. "The one rule is to keep the secret...to keep the secret from _humans_...like you." He shook his head slowly at the sky.

I just stared at him for a long moment. What was he talking about? Why wouldn't I have been told this, back when I had wanted nothing more than to become like him! Knowing the one big rule would be rather important when deciding to becoming a vampire, wouldn't it? Or had his whole family truly supported him when he said he wanted me to remain a weak, slow mortal? Did none of them truly want me to be part of their family and had only gone along with it since it was what Edward wanted? Hurt lashed through me, and I turned my face away from him so he wouldn't see the pain spark across my face.

"Why didn't you ever tell me about that? It seems pretty important," I said indifferently, hiding the emotions washing through me. He didn't answer at first, and I thought that he was lost in thought. Suddenly his arms were around me.

"Don't hide from me, please," he pleaded anxiously with me, pulling me to his chest. I glanced up at him, and saw that he was looking down at me, his eyes hypnotic pools of gold. "I can't bear for you to hide from me," he whispered, pressing his forehead against mine.

I was…confused…as usual from his odd mood swings. A second ago we had been discussing the fact that it was suicidal for me to go to Volterra, and that there was much more of the vampire world than I realized. Now there was a sudden urgency between the two of us. Even if I'd wanted to reply to his request, I couldn't have. Something was pulling me, pulling me forward, bringing my lips to his…

_Ah._ It was like a light switch had been turned on after briefly being plunged into darkness, the immediate relief you feel after regaining your sight, seeing that all is well. And all _was_ well; I was better than I'd been in a year, I felt as if he'd never left me at all. Such a feeling of relief from a simple kiss. His lips moved tenderly against mine, less cautiously than he used to, and I could tell he felt the same as I did, felt the same relief, the same sense of security from the reconnection of this intimate action.

After awhile though, I knew his control must have been waning. He pulled his face back from mine gently, and stared at me with utter love and adoration in his eyes. "I love you," he whispered, as if talking too loud would take all the peace and tranquility of the moment away.

I smiled softly. "I love you too,"

Again, it seemed my phone _wanted _to be thrown to the grown and smashed to pieces. Just as Edward began to lower his head again to brush his lips against mine, my phone went off. I swore under my breath, and Edward pulled back, a smirk on his face.

**Halfway there…just wondering if you've even left yet- Meka**

I blinked, and read through it again, and then looked at the time on the phone and sighed. We should have been almost there by now. "Come on," I sighed, hopping onto the bike and sliding on my helmet. Edward frowned at me and opened his mouth to speak, so I interrupted him before he could. "And no, this is my bike, so therefore, I get to drive it. Hop on," I said, patting the space behind me.

He shook his head and slid behind me, putting his helmet on as he did so. He put his icy hands around my waist, and small sparks seemed to come from his hands, just like that time in biology, over a year ago. "Let's go, and please, travel at the speed limit."

I started the bike, muttering "hypocrite" under my breath. He let out a slight growl, and I tore out of the parking lot. I laughed as his grip became tighter.

"What, scared you might fall?" I called out teasingly.

"No, I'm scared _you_ might," he retorted loud enough for me to hear over the wind, his voice holding no humor. "When did you even learn to drive a motorcycle?"

"Oh, last December," I said, shrugging slightly. "It really didn't take long. I was still home more than I wasn't, and a friend of mine taught me."

"Really? I don't remember anyone from Forks that could ride a motorcycle well enough to teach you how," he responded, his voice harboring disbelief.

"Well, he lived in La Push. Jacob Black, you remember him? He's the one that came to our Prom." Something inside me told me to be very careful how to disclose any information I knew about the Quileutes, especially the pack.

He tensed behind me. "The son of Charlie's friend, Jacob Black?" I nodded. "Hmm, so he taught you I'm guessing, in secret?"

"Yeah."

"And you're hiding something from me right now."

Dang him and his ability to read my heartbeat. "Yep."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Nope."

His voice turned persuasive. "Why not? You know you can tell me anything." I bit my lip. "Come on Isabella, I'm sure it can't be anything that bad." One of his arms let go of my waist, and rubbed up and down my arm.

"You were the one telling me to be careful not to drive. Distractions don't help with that," I snapped.

He laughed that perfect, gorgeous laugh that always made my insides melt. "You could just tell me, and then I wouldn't distract you anymore."

I looked around. Ahead and behind us was open Tuscan road, with a few cars here and there, most of which seemed to be tourists. I carefully pulled over to the side of the road, anticipating Edward's reaction to the news I was about to disclose.

"Is it that bad?" he murmured. There seemed to be a hidden pain in his voice, as if what I was about to tell him would confirm his worst fears.

"That depends on how you look at it," I said calmly, and turned to look at him, pulling off my helmet. "Jacob was—is—a werewolf."

There was a moment of complete silence. The wind seemed to stop, the birds quieted, the cars stopped passing. Then came the explosion I'd been waiting for.

"He's _what_?" Fury flooded through his voice. "You were friends with a werewolf? Do you know how utterly dangerous that is?" He trembled with rage.

I nodded. "Yes, it seems just as dangerous as the everyday life I lead with my job. Actually, it's probably a bit safer since no on is actually _trying _to kill me in La Push." He just glared at me for a moment, and I shrugged. "It's true."

He continued to glare for a moment, and then sighed. "Maybe you were right when you said I was fighting fate to keep you alive. Everything that has happened to you in the past two years would suggest that." His shoulders sagged, as if the weight of that fate was pressing down on _him_, and not me.

I stared back at him, then I reached up and put my hand to his face, trying to convey through my eyes everything I felt. The pain I felt for his pain, the sadness I felt from his. I opened my mouth to speak, when my phone went off again.

**You might want to hurry. Morgan's 'friend' decided to call to tell him she's going to see him at the hotel…I wouldn't be surprised if we broke the sound barrier-Meka.**

I laughed, and showed him the message. He chuckled, and the heavy look on his face was gone, mostly. Some of it remained in his eyes, and I vowed to make that go away. I slipped on my helmet, and restarted the engine.

"You know, it may not be fate trying to kill me, but to make me like you," I said lightly, before tearing off onto the road.


End file.
